Honour and Profit Runner Review

07/07/14

Scoring Key

2 = Niche, may have a home in certain deck type, but usually as part of a larger combo

3 = Bread and Butter, a decent card that will make its way into some in-faction decks

4 = Strong card, almost always played in faction

5 = Meta defining card, played often out of faction, almost an auto include

Iain Stirling

Dave H - 3

I like the fact that Iain offers us a totally different type of Criminal ID to play, I've not done enough testing to know if he is balanced with his lower influence, but I like that there is that choice available. His ability and in fact a number of the key cards in the set are all about being in a losing position and that is not something that Criminals are in the early game. I think that he is likely the person best suited for a combo style of deck, for example Data Leak Reversal, or Vamp Medium combo etc.

Callum - 3.5

Mr Stirling brings out a new playstyle for Criminals, which is always a welcome sight to see. The main key point with Stirling is that his ID works when behind which encourages a slower playstyle out of Criminals to let the Corp push ahead to build your rig up, possibly utilizing his link for cards like Underworld Contacts (Take that Helpful AI hostage for instant Link!) to make quite a lucrative passive income on a turn by turn basis before catching up late game. My only real criticizing point for Stirling is that I feel 10 influence is really limiting for deck design, especially in the icebreaker department where Criminals love to splash. I’ve had some fun utilizing cards like Keyhole with Mr Stirling to really prolong his ID power, milling agendas for the late-game and scooping them up for the win. A very different ID and one that I feel that has a lot of design space to explore in the future.

John - 3

Now this is interesting. Are we going to see Data Dealer decks and very rich runners who are trying to deck the corp? Obviously this needs to be built around a deck that still works when the corp doesn't score an agenda for long periods, which is an early game tempo loss over other identities.

Ken "Express" Tenma

Dave H - 3

Dumb nickname! Makes him sound like an awesome pizza delivery boy, rather than a hacker...

I like the fact that he has extra influence and there are a lot of strong run events, however I question if these abilities are enough of a boost to make him better than Gabe or Andy? I also believe that his ability means that it half builds you deck for you, and this means that a lot of information is given away to your opponent. For example I am certain to be facing off against Indexing, Makers Eye, Stimhack etc as influence use as well as in faction run events. However that being said, run events allow for precision strikes against weak servers, these are now tutorable with Planned Assault and therefore there is a great opportunity to be aggressive against all servers to devastating effect. One that needs testing definitely.

Callum - 3

The archetype Criminal? Ken Tenma (or Kenma) rewards what Criminals have always done, playing run events. I’ve had a lot of fun playing Express because he’s the type of ID that really rides on momentum. Piling cards like Datasucker, Security Testing, Doppelganger, John M together with Prepaid Voice Pads really amps up the speed on how Express plays. One thing to really note here is that he comes pre-packed with 17 influence which is fantastic. I’ve used this in a fair few ways but my favourite so far has been utilizing Motivation/Oracle May to compress Credits and draw to keep the momentum up. You haven’t lived until you’ve PrePaid a Dirty Laundry/Security Tested Archives for the cash injection and triggered Doppelganger to go screaming into a remote and steal an agenda. The biggest weakness I’ve found with Express however, is stalling, Express can crash and burn and struggle to recover. I feel that it’s a weakness of Criminals at the worst of times and Express in particular really will feel it. A very fun ID.

John - 4

Playable, but focussing on your cards rather than the objective runs a slight risk of taking focus away from running for agendas and onto economy generation. However it is a simple strategy that is easy to build around, and there are several synergistic cards, so I expect to see a lot of Ken.

Silhouette

Dave H - 2.5

Expose is a powerful effect, especially against Jinteki. The question is, is this more useful than a 9 card starting hand or 2 credits for the run? Other than Blackguard there are very few cards that combine with expose effects, therefore I don't think that Silhouette is as good as some of the other ID's yet, but if we see more that team with her ability this will change quickly.

Callum - 4

A 40/15 ID? In Criminal? What isn’t there to love? I’m going to preface this by saying I love 40/15 IDs, they’re very sleek in operation and very savage when it comes to deck building. Her ID is the other half of Infiltration (to Gabe) and one I’ve found a welcome sight to play with for scouting out future runs. Some players will prefer the 2c that Gabe can offer but I’ve found myself cutting Infiltration from my deck for quite a while now, and Silhouette gives me that power without taking up the deck space to do so. Very, very useful for scouting out remote servers to see if they’re worth your time. I’ve been enjoying playing Silhouette as a rush Runner, fast out of the gate with a small deck to work with and getting my breakers fast and moving quickly to keep up with the faster Corp decks out there. Her console, Blackguard, is worth a mention here as I think there is a deck here that functions well, utilizing her expose effect, Snitch and Sat Uplinks to keep the Corp poor after Siphons but I haven’t found a way to utilize it in a satisfying manner yet. Overall, an ID I love playing for a nimble Runner.

John - 3

An intel based deck is the natural enemy of Jinteki, and has utility against corp traps everywhere. I am looking forward to see what you can do with this. Probably only for experienced players who are very familiar with all the cards otherwise it is likely to be information overload. Likely to lead to very long games with inexperienced players particularly against Jinteki. You will need to avoid the danger of trying to find out everything before running.

Calling in Favours

Dave H - 3

This is a poor card early game, but an amazing card late game, providing you have your deck build around it. I sometimes fear these sort of cards, as it is really easy in Netrunner to go to 'all in' on an idea, in this case including connections that you don't actually need to increase the number in the deck which is needed to make this playable. Sometimes just playing the connections you want is the better call.

Callum - 3

This card belongs to a very specific type of connection orientated build. I’ve seen it fire off for 5-6+ credits which can get insane quickly. However it is vulnerable to sitting there early game and basically becoming an Easy Mark, or even a dead draw, which is still a good investment I think, considering its an econ that can grow. If you are building the connected type of deck, this is an obvious inclusion.

John - 2

A significant mid to late game economy boost in resource heavy decks. A dead card in your opening hand.

Early Bird

Dave H - 1.5

An extra click, sort of like the Criminal All-Nighter, while this has synergy with Notoriety I believe that Shaper showed this doesn't really work, and while it may be better in Criminal I still don't believe it is a great deck type. Generally this card is not worth it, an extra click is useful but there are always better cards to include and therefore it will be rare that this makes the cut.

Callum - 2

Does the early bird get the worm? I’m not sure this is worth the deck space outside of specific builds. The effect for this one is actually pretty rewarding, a credit for an action back (plus the cost of the Run) isn’t a bad investment when you consider it. The main problem is knowing when to fire this card off and preparing a turn ready to use it. I ran two of these in my Express deck to score off a pair of Notorieties. But that’s really the only use I’ve seen for it as a specific turn plan. The deck needs a very specific need for these to be worth including I think, in most other decks it tends to be the card cut to make it to deck size minimums.

John - 3

Exchange a credit and a card for a click. You usually want to do this the other way round, though it is an OK trade. Particularly useful in runner decks with plenty of money (Magnum Opus), with Desperado where you get your money back and against bioroid ice. Potentially useful when about to play large draw cards (Diesel, Quality Time). Works well with Public Terminal and in Ken decks.

Express Delivery

Dave H - 1

I believe that Mr Li or other card draw is better than this, it is only really useful if you are searching for a particular card and generally it is best to include the tutor for it than this. This may be a nice to have but will almost always get cut because of deck space.

Callum - 2

Express Delivery is a card that I think will have lovers and haters, the marmite of card draw. I’ve used this card a few times and my thoughts on it are that it’s better outside of Criminal than it is in. I’ve used it in Anarch decks as a tutor type of card where I look for specific cards by filtering my deck. It’s not awful, but in Anarchs it will compete with Quality Time for deck space. Though I do feel that this card isn’t a draw, it’s a filter, which is where the conflicting views on it arrive. I think it’s a good card for what it does, but it’s too low impact to validate the deck space it takes.

John - 2

An expensive way to cycle your deck. Not convinced this is worth it.

Feint

Dave H - 1.5

Is it not better to just include more Inside Jobs than this? If you have maxed them out, then use Same Old Thing... So very rare you need a successful run to trigger an effect that you cannot get by some other means. I recommend Sneakdoor Beta!

Callum - 2.5

An enabler card, initially I wasn’t too sold on this card until I realised it had a space in decks that wanted its effect. The main use I’ve had for this is as a one-off in Gabe/Silhouette decks as a way to fire off Emergency Shutdowns without paying for the run, it’s worked really well in this way for me in conjunction with Inside Job to really hammer a remote server that I want to get into that turn. It’s also works well with cards like Notoriety/Quest Complete as a way to fire those off without investing too much into the HQ run.

John - 2

Good as a combo card with Unregistered S&W or perhaps Quest Completed, but does rely on a combo. Is it worth playing with Silhouette when you really need to know something or is that just getting obsessive for information?

Legwork

Dave H - 4

As Criminal it is often really expensive or difficult to get into HQ, this is because everyone has Account Siphon fear. Therefore, often it isn't cost effective to hit HQ repeatedly in the late game, this card solves that, for an extra two credits you can see 3 cards, much more worthwhile!

Callum - 4

I’ve been waiting for this one since it was spoiled online and love the effect, but found it actually competes with other cards in the faction to the point that I’m not using it as much as I would have. HQ is a server that will be controlled by the Corp, so I’ve found myself only taking one or two of these and using them when it feels appropriate. That said though I love this as a splash into Shaper where it can come flying out of the left field when R&D is being hammered and it really makes the Corp feel threatened. I think it’s a very strong card, but it isn’t quite on par with The Maker’s Eye.

John - 5

Best runner card in the set? Better than HQ interface for an occasional hand clear out. We are going to be seeing a lot of this card. Very risky against Snare and Jinteki decks (Fetal AI) after the first few turns.

Planned Assault

Dave H - 4

I know that a lot of people don't like this card because it can tutor Account Siphon, and yes that is a strength but this is not why I like it. Now Criminal can run a single copy of Makers Eye, Indexing, Stimhack, or another run event, and get it when they need it. The thing I always liked about Criminals is that they were able to pressure every server and in burst attacks, then they fizzled out late game. Andy changed that, but this is a good card for enabling all over pressure and hopefully takes Criminals back to their roots.

Callum - 3.5

The card that made people feel the world is ending. Planned Assault is a very nice card, but it’s definitely an “extra card”. It’s a great way to tutor out key run events that you haven’t yet found but need. It’s a bit of a non-Double because it immediately plays the card you’ve just brought up which is good. I think this is a strong card to add once you’ve added your core events to your deck and are looking for some extra to get them out earlier, rather than upping the number of each event.

John - 3

Expensive but does allow you to run a toolbox of run events and choose the one you need against this particular corp right now.

Logos

Dave H - 4

Wow, tutor for a card for free, that is pretty amazing! There are so many scenarios where this is useful, the corp bankrupts themselves FA'ing an agenda so you get a Medium and dig, they have the remote locked because you don't have the needed breaker, so you go and get it. If they have a weakness you can exploit it or if you have one you can recover. This is an amazingly versatile card, and helps against Jinteki kill decks. Shame it competes with Desperado, though I am glad it is cheaper to splash.

Callum - 4

A strong console that unfortunately competes in faction with the mighty Desperado, I still believe Logos is a console worth considering in the right decks. Obviously works well with Stirling who is will allow Corps to score a few agendas before him, but I’ve found a home for this in Anarch decks oddly enough, letting me tutor up key cards that I can’t find whilst the Corp pushes on. The +1 hand size is nice and works well in any deck that can be quite slow out of the gate.

John - 3

A free tutor 0 to 3 times a game is a great boost though it can be slow and unpredictable. I guess its greatest upside is it is a console that throws you a lifeline when the corp is busy scoring. Its downside is the credit tempo loss when you install it to be repaid at some indeterminate time later thereby making it more likely you need the lifeline it throws you... It will be more useful against the NBN Fast Track Astroscript train, and a Weyland deck that is throwing one pointers to Archer.

Public Terminal

Dave H - 1

There are not currently enough run events that cost money to make this worthwhile. Also why would you not just run Prepaid VoicePAD and use event economy?

Callum - 1.5

I’m going to come out and say that I think I’ve missed the point in this card because I think it’s just bad. It’s 1c less install than Prepaid Voice Pad but also works on less events. Granted it’s a slower tempo hit than Prepaid Voice Pads install, but it feels like Prepaid Voice Pad 4-6, which isn’t strong enough to warrant adding.

John - 3

I find reusable credit cards are generally underrated to take pressure of economy generation. This one will particularly find use in Ken decks. It will typically generate more credits than say a hedge fund over the course of a game though a second one is likely of limited use. So you need to find another similar but non-overlapping effect card like cyberfeeder to match it with to create a reliable deck.

Unregistered S&W '35

Dave H - 3

This is a card that does what it says on the tin. If your meta has lots of Caprice, Ash, Jackson Howard etc and they are costing you games, then this is your counter. If you need it, it's great if you don't then it isn't. Pretty simple!

Callum - 2.5

I like this card, it’s thematically very strong and it works well in function, but it can have timing issues and can be a dead draw against certain decks. It doesn’t work well vs Jackson Howard because the Corp can just fire him off after the HQ run if they’re paying attention, but god does it feel satisfying to put a bullet through the neck of Ms Nisei. This card will only get stronger with the more Execs/Clones/Sysops FFG adds to the game.

John - 4

Sneak into corporate headquarters and shoot someone who is making your life hard. Is that criminal enough for you? Silver bullet for Caprice, Jackson, Ash or any board member. Any card that can destroy more than one other card is a strong card. The key point is you can shoot someone guarding _any_ server after breaking into HQ. I expect to see this card in many criminal decks and its use grow as the corps human capital expands in future sets.

Window

Dave H - 2

Currently there is only one use for this card, and that is for use with Mr Li, however we know Will-O'-The-Wisp is coming soon. I think this is a good defense against WOTW but is more tutoring or recursion such as SOT not better? I don't know. I hope that this is one of the Criminal themes, that cards go to the bottom of their decks, could be some interesting mechanics with this.

Callum - 1

The pre-emptive counter to Will O’ The Wisp? Mr Li’s favourite window? I’m not really sure what to rate this card, it doesn’t have a need in a deck space to be worth adding. I’m also not sure that it’s worth adding even with Will O’ The Wisp in the card pool. You can potentially tutor the icebreaker back into play and shuffle effects can get the card back ideally anywhere bar the bottom. Some people have suggested using it with Mr Li to be able to keep both cards you see, but honestly I’m not sure it’s worth the deck space.

John - 1

Specialised combo use that there is insufficient support for as yet. One to watch for future releases.

Alias

Dave H - 1

I was expecting Alias to be amazing, Criminals are the best with Sentry breakers, so why is this so bad? Other Criminal breakers are cheaper at breaking common Sentry Ice and are not restricted to Central Server only. This may have been playable if it was 1 credit for +3 strength.

Callum - 2.5

The first of the central only breakers, I’m quite fond of this card but I’m not sure how good it actually is. Any decks that use central only breakers will use it, but compared to Ninja:

Alias is cheaper to use on the lower end sentries to Ninja, but is limited to just the three central servers. I don’t think this actually works well in most generalist Criminal decks.

John - 2

Its not a bad sentry breaker, but its not significantly better such that it justifies the downside.

Breach

Dave H - 1.5

Does this sound good?

4 credits to break a Wall of Static

2 credits to break a Paperwall

Unable to pressure remote

Nope! With a restriction like no remote pressure this really needed to be much more efficient.

Callum - 2

Breach is actually expensive to use vs the cheaper end barriers than its companions as a fracter. It cost a 4c to break a Wall of Static or Bastion and 2c to break a Wraparound or Ice Wall. Ive only ever really used this as a replacement for a one-off Corroder in Criminal decks in the event that my Corroder gets wrecked and I can’t spare the influence for a second or few Clone Chips. I feel the strength of Corroder really hurts this fracter in a lot of ways.

John - 1

If the meta ever goes to big barriers with lots of subroutines on central servers…

Bug

Dave H - 1

I do not believe this is worth it, if you want a similar effect, splash for Woman in the Red Dress.

Callum - 1.5

Bug isn’t really a card that has a home in most decks, I’ve given it a 1.5 largely because it does have a place and that’s working with R&D lock. If the Corp attempts to draw through your lock, you can Bug the cards they’re drawing to keep tabs on where the agendas are. The biggest issue is I don’t feel this is worth the deck space, nor the MU it takes up to accomplish this. The costs can quickly add up if used repeatedly too. The theme is very nice but the card itself? Not so much.

John - 1

I look forward to someone making this work, because I can't see it. One to watch out for combos in later releases.

Gingerbread

Dave H - 1

I don't believe that breakers that are only useful against certain types such as Tracers are that great, it is better to play a normal breaker suite. Especially when this isn't any more efficient than a normal breaker. Cute artwork though.

Callum - 1

I so want to love this card because I love the art and theme. But the reality is, this breaker only works on a single ICE subtype and I don’t feel that tracers are prolific enough to actually bother including it. It’ll break Data Hound for 1c though, so if that card is a huge issue in your meta, Gingerbread is there to save the day!

John - 1

Is there going to be a future effect to turn ice into tracer ice like Kit or Paintbrush? Then it might be playable.

Grappling Hook

Dave H - 3.5

This is a great safety net, hit an Archer and you still get through untouched, or a Janus last click isn't lethal, or Inazuma is not longer deadly. There are a lot of options with this card and I think it will be very strong, though maybe more in Shaper than in Criminal because of the recursion.

Callum - 3

A nice emergency breaker against cards like Archer and Janus 1.0 (that functions well with E3 Feedback Implants), but the one thing keeping this card out of my decks is that it competes directly with Faeries for dealing with scary Sentries. When the game develops further to the point that we start dealing more and more with dangerous code gates (Inazuma anyone?) and possibly Barriers, then I may start adding this into my decks more.

John - 3

It's a safety net that lets you facecheck ice without all your breakers reasonably safely and cheaply. That covers many sentries including Archer, Tsurugi, Shinobi and Komainu. Is that worth enough to play this card? Its not labelled as an icebreaker so you can't tutor for it with special order and you therefore have to have 2 or 3 in your deck for this to be reliable.

Passport

Dave H - 3

I'm actually okay with this one, it is really cheap to get into play and has a reasonable strength. I wouldn't want to run this as my only code gate breaker but it is useful as a back up to ensure that I don't need to splash for a Zu.

Callum - 3.5

I actually like Passport a lot more than its brother and sister breakers, largely due to it having a high base strength, being even on strength pumping, but also having a very low installation cost, which is great for keeping up the pressure early game on centrals. I’ve used this a few times in decks that want speed out of the gate that sometimes Gordian and Yog can’t provide. You can either Femme troublesome code gates on remotes late game, or even just install over this with a Gordian depending on the deck.

John - 3

OK it’s a in-faction code gate breaker that doesn’t cost too much to use, and the 1 credit install cost means it doesn't lose tempo. It could do well in the current meta where many low strength code gates exist only to force the Yog out. But its not as cost effective against higher strength code gates such as Viper, Tollbooth, Viktor 2.0, Inazuma. The early cost saving could soon be offset by usage costs. Probably a useful early game code gate breaker or for when you have a breaker recurring credit card out like Cyberfeeder.

Push Your Luck

Dave H - 1

GAMBLING IS BAD!

(So are sex, drugs and rock and roll)

Callum - 1

A fun card, but not a very good one. This is a Hail Mary card at its finest. I’ve seen some people argue that 50/50 is too much risk and some have said that you can’t ask for more than 50/50 with this type of outcome. This is the type of card that is only really suitable to play late-game to punch through game point. Why does it have a 2c play cost too? Thematically it make sense, but mechanically? This card realistically won’t make many, if any decks.

John - 1

Worst card in the set? Average return is always less your investment.

Security Testing

Dave H - 3.5

Another card that combos to give amazing free archive runs, another incentive to lock up the server against Criminal. Providing you can gain easy access to a server this is a great economy card, it is strong against asset based decks and those with a low ice count.

Callum - 4

Wow, I’m not sure this card was actually needed in the card pool but it’s a great one. A way to really amp up your Desperado/Datasucker runs on Archives before heading elsewhere. A thing to note with this card is that it isn’t optional, so don’t name a server you might need to access later on. Conveniently also shafts Shock! and Shi.Kyū as you charge the Datasuckers off Archives. I kind of wish the card had been in Anarchs, who have to take the slap in the face to do the same.

John - 4

No loss of tempo and it combos well with Desperado to make running archives once a turn a major source of income. You only need to get income from this 3 times for it to be one of the best economy cards. Of course if there is no safe run then this is not as reliable as other economy cards. Has Kati met her match?

Theophilius Bagbiter

Dave H - ?

I have no idea, currently I do not see the point to this, however I am sure that in the future he will be part of some awesome combo.

Callum - 2

A combo card for Runners, I’m hesitant to rate this one because I’m not sure how decks are going to utilize it to the best of its ability. This is the type of card that my brain doesn’t really click with and I’ll be honest about that. It has some obvious plays with taking lots of money via Account Siphon/Kati Jones and then using cards like Duggar’s to tutor your entire deck into your hand, but I’m just not sure how a deck like this is built or operates into a winning formula.

John - 3

You obviously have to build your deck around this and build to be a rich runner. It avoids the need for plascretes, and hides info from the corp until you are ready to nova. I just can't see it being that much of a benefit, but I am hoping to be proved wrong.

Tri-Maf Contact

Dave H - 2

A click for 2 credits is good even if it is only once a turn. However, it is the downside that makes this unplayable. I realise that there are cards that can prevent it going such as Fall Guy, but then you are into combo territory and this card is not worth it. There are better Criminal money cards than this. Unless you are messing around with a connections deck I don't think it is worth it.

Callum - 2.5

I’ve tested these a few times in and out of faction and Tri-Maf attempts to be an in faction Magnum Opus equivalent. It can be tutored out as a connection, but it takes quite a while to take a pay off from this card compared to equivalents like Armitage Codebusting which I found was the biggest issue with it. It’s a nice “money now” card and I’ve had success using this in Anarchs as a fixed point of income after Armitage. I think Tri-Maf is actually a good card, but the competition is just that little bit better to make it a hard sell. The downsides of the card can be mitigated with Fall Guy or Plascretes/Crash Space, so just be wary of the Corp you’re playing against if you decide to use this card.

John - 2

It's a slow Magnum Opus with a serious downside and a relatively long payback period. You need to always stay rich to avoid tags and can obviously never play 2 of these without plascretes or other defence out. Otherwise it’s a reliable economy card that with good click efficiency. I guess it finds use for your plascretes when you aren't playing against a scorch deck.

Mass Install

Dave H - 1

I don't like this very much for Criminal as they really don't play enough Programs, glad it is neutral. Still, even as Shaper, it is rare I want to install 3 programs, as I need to have them in hand and the money to pay for them all, so thats a four card combo plus money. Yeah, that seems dumb. I don't see this making many decks.

Callum - 2

I like the work compression effect of this card, but I’m not sure where to use it. I like the idea of installing a suite of Caissa or Viruses out in one click (when backed by their particular consoles) to really get the tempo going, but the difficulty is getting all of those programs in hand to make this card worth playing. A nice utility card that doesn’t isn’t quite needed for the space it takes just yet.

John - 3

Allows a nova install that should gain you some tempo and possibly a surprise attack, but does require that you manufacture a handful of cheap installable cards or more likely following a card draw spree.

Q-Coherence Chip

Dave H - 1

If you are not playing Shaper, Faerie, Knight, Sharpshooter, Grappling Hook, Freelance Coding Contract, Parasite etc then you may want to play this card. If you are, then it either doesn't work for you, or you are Shaper and therefore you should likely just play Akumatsu instead.

Callum - 1

Ugh, the ruling killed this card. I wish it had written “installed” program, but even then I’m still not sure where I’d take this in a deck. Program trashing is a very real threat in this game and some programs even trash themselves, which makes its inclusion very narrow in most deck archetypes. It functions in effect with the next card, but again I’m not sure to the point it’s ever worth considering.

John - 2

I like that this allows program sprawl and potential new strategies. I worry it will just lead to kitchen sink load outs rather than focus and maximising use of the available memory. The downside is pretty bad if you have more than one of these in play when it triggers.

Overmind

Dave H - 2

I'm not keen on this, if you use it as your only breaker you will run out of tokens very quickly and if you use it as a supporting breaker you will often not have enough memory. It may be workable in a deck build around it, so decks with lots of extra memory, E3 and Scavenge are all cards that come to mind, but generally, I don't think it is very workable.

Callum - 3.5

I’ve rated this a 3.5 only because it’s very strong in a deck that’s built to support it. When paired with E3, Deep Red and Scavenge, this card can become scary very quickly. It’s definitely a card that needs to be built around to get the most out of it, but it’s also a very interesting one to build around. I’d consider running Inti (or the cheapest fracter possible) because of Wraparound however!

John - 2

Typically break 2 or 3 subroutines before you trash it, not great. The kicker is its any type of ice so it is sort of an expensive Faerie that can break any type of ice. Probably OK as an early game breaker or with cheap recursion.

Oracle May

Dave H - 3.5

Oracle May and Motivation are a two card combo, but they are cheaper to get out than ProCon, and while only usable once a turn, more efficient. It is definitely a deck that needs to be built around but once up and running it is strong. I think we will also see more cards that combo with looking at the top card in Shaper so I think that this rating may get better with time.

Callum - 2.5

The card that pairs excellently with Motivation but does require a bit of set up to get going. If your deck is heavily stacked into one type of card, then Oracle May can be a nice inclusion into it. The biggest scare of course is trashing something important you need at the wrong time. I’m not sure I’d use her enough outside of decks where I can mitigate what cards I’m looking at (like Motivation) but gaining two credits for drawing the next card type is a nice effect and does begin to add up as the game progresses.

John - 3

Works as an efficient combo with Motivation to produce great economy and draw. But it does require a combo to work or of course card counting and luck and a heap tutor.

Donut Taganes

Dave H - 2

This card is really limited in how useful it is for a number of reasons, firstly if your opponent isn't using many Operations then this isn't very strong against them. Secondly if you are using events, they cost more and make your deck less efficient. Finally it has a high influence cost so you need to be able to afford this. Lots of problems for it, but it could win you games against Cerebral Imaging, it is tutorable with Hostage, which resolves some of the influence problems but Criminal are the faction with the highest amount of events...

Callum - 2

Donut Taganes has an effect that is a lot stronger than it reads on his card, but requires your deck to be built around its mitigating effects. Donut can really do some damage against decks that run off a lot of operation power for speed and economy. This card utterly wrecks the efficiency of Green Level Clearance, Hedge Fund and Restructure in particular The downside to Mr Taganes is that as mentioned, your deck needs to be built to accommodate his effects without shooting yourself in the foot too, so you’re looking at a primarily resource based economy. I also feel that his influence cost is a little bit too high outside of Criminals who can Hostage him into play, but I do think at one influence his power would be ridiculous.

John - 2

This costs 3 credits a click and a card, even more with Hostage, so it only has potential against corps that play well above average operations. The corps this hurts the most are Cerebral Imaging and to a lesser extent Weyland and potentially NBN scorch or psychographics decks. Against all other corps you are highly unlikely to make back your initial investment. Donut is therefore potentially playable as part of a resource toolbox strategy when playing hostage along with other resource cards. Against Weyland or especially Cerebral imaging you tutor for this with hostage. Against other decks you just ignore it and trash it when it comes to hand. Obviously if playing a resource heavy deck you will have tag protection anyway. Generally though you slow the game down with some loss of tempo to yourself. This is of course for runners who mostly avoid events and do everything with resources, hardware and programs. I assume multiple of these stack though playing more than one looks dubious.